By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Many decades ago, Lake Barton north of Great Bend was a hub of activity. Great Bend High School Cross Country Coach Lyles Lashley is again making the area a destination. The Panther Invitational early each fall has grown from just a handful of teams to more than two dozen schools, making it one of the largest meets in Central Kansas. Lashley said it will require another community effort when Lake Barton hosts regional cross country races for a sixth-straight year on Oct. 26.
"It takes a lot of volunteer help," he said. "You're looking at 26 teams from the 1A side and nine teams on the 5A side, so we're looking at bringing 35 teams into town, along with their family and friends who come out to watch and other spectators, too. We have so much traffic out at Lake Barton."
That much traffic will fill parking lots at the course, the nearby bike trails and the 4-H building. Parking lot attendants are required at each, and courtesy cart drivers ferry spectators to and from those lots. Course monitors, finish-line workers, and various other volunteers are needed throughout the day closer to the action. Lake Barton typically hosts multiple classes on regional Saturday. This year, the course will host Class 5A and 1A races.
"We have a spectacular course out there," Lashley said. "I think it's probably the second-best course in the state of Kansas, in my opinion. We're very fortunate to have it and that Lake Barton lets us use it. We're also very fortunate that our grounds crew, Cody Schmidt and his crew, help us maintain it throughout the season and throughout the year."
The Class 5A girls begin at 10 a.m. that day, followed by the 5A boys at 10:40. The top 15 individuals and top three teams qualify for state. The 1A girls begin at 11:10 a.m., followed by the boys at 11:50. With just three Class 1A regionals around the state, the top 15 individuals and top four teams will qualify for state.